When in Rome
by Slightly Sane
Summary: Over the span of three days, I've learned three things: One, my brother is a member of one of Konoha's most dangerously elite gangs. Two, I'm going to Rome. And three? I'm being followed. SasuxSaku, SakuxIta.
1. Frustration

**When in Rome  
**_by Slightly Sane  
_

_When in Rome,_

_Do as the Romans do._

_If they fight us,_

_We'll fight back._

_-_

_-_

_-  
_

"Naruto."

"Yeah?"

"Are you scared?"

"...Yes."

_-_

_-_

_-_

**Chapter One**

"Sakura, would you please quit it?"

"Let me just finish putting the pins in—"

"Dammit!"

"Sorry!"

Staring into a three paneled mirror, a fairly frustrated male made a more-than-annoyed face. Stray strands of onyx hair fell in front of his visage, and with his hands currently 'occupied,' he had absolutely no way of ridding them. He tried to blow them away, but to no avail. They tickled and teased his nose. His dark, uninterested eyes bore holes into the mirror—completely fed up with staring at himself for the past half hour. He jerked as he felt another pin prick his wrist, and almost went to pull his hand back.

"Sasuke-kun! Stop trying to mess me up!"

"I don't see why all of this is necessary." Sasuke's voice was monotonic as he gazed down to his right. The girl who was sowing the cuffs of his sleeve, Sakura, looked busy at work. Although she was a terrible singer, writer, dancer, artist, and almost every other creative art out there—she wasn't half bad at sowing. He scowled as another pin punctured the skin on the side of his palm. Well, maybe not today. She had the brightest pink hair, _natural _pink hair at that. Its shine on its own was too unnatural.

"You, Sasuke-kun, are attending a very special banquet." She spoke like an overprotective mother. Sasuke scoffed and looked back into the mirror. It was true. He had been born into a family of three; his father, his mother and his brother. His father and mother, who owned a world wide chain of automotive manufacturers, had not been in contact with him for years. Now, as the summer season was approaching, they had decided to throw a gala for the entire company and its contacts. This was to be hosted by the Uchiha _family_, not just the owners of the corporation. It was this small factor that made it almost mandatory for the Uchiha family in its entirety to attend. This meant himself, his mother, his father…

"I don't want to go."

"Why, because Itachi-san is going?"

"Don't give him honorifics."

The day outside was clear. It was the middle of June and the sun was high, a perfect day to be mentally tortured by the family he hated most dearly. Their small town was just off the coast of the ocean. It had a large population, however, which made it a central hotspot for business. Konoha was known for having its clear, pristine days of warmth. It was a beautiful little city that prided itself in its high education. Sasuke had lived here since he was born; never one thought of leaving the city had crossed his mind. Unlike his parents and his brother, he had rather enjoyed the general splendor that a small yet bustling city had to offer. That and he could never leave the people behind.

"Where is Naruto?" Sakura mumbled incoherently, looking around Sasuke's legs to the door. "He should have been here ten minutes ago. We'll definitely be late…"

Naruto, Sasuke's best friend, was also his right hand man. Even though it was an Uchiha hosted gala, there was absolutely no way the taciturn male would leave without a little sanity at his side. Naruto was far from sane, however; comparing him to the mindless drones of businessmen, he was a god given light. The three of them; Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura, had all been best friends since they were very young. They all attended the same school, and were eventually shipped off to the same high school as well. Now, in their final year, they had everything to gain and nothing to lose. They were three very different people, which made them the most unlikely of friends.

"He's probably eating ramen somewhere." Sasuke finally jerked his hand away from Sakura, examining the cuff of his sleeve with little to no real interest in her stitching abilities. He stepped down from the platform and stretched out his arms, beginning to grow slightly curious as to the blond idiot's whereabouts. Behind him, Sakura began packing her supplies away in a Tupper Wear container.

"Be nice to your family."

"Hn."

"Don't throw cake at Itachi again, please?"

"I was eight."

"You were thirteen."

"What does it matter?" Sasuke pressed his palm to his temple. "You're being annoying. It's my family; I'll deal with it how I choose." His voice held some discontent. His family had been an issue for years now. And to make matters worse, his brother…

The door blew open. Sasuke didn't flinch as the over-anxious blond jumped happily into the room—instant ramen in hand. He was dressed in a full white suit with a red bowtie, completely contrasting to his usual yellow figure. There were also three matching scratch marks on either side of his cheek. Naruto liked to believe he was a fox.

"So, are we going to this shindig or what?" He tossed the empty carton of ramen onto the floor, completely disregarding the cleanliness of the room. Sasuke sighed as he heard the dull crack of a fist connecting to the side of a jaw. He should've known better to litter on Sakura's floor. Sasuke rolled his shoulders, hearing a small crack as he did so. That was definitely stress.

"Are you two done fooling around?" It wasn't like he cared, really. Moreover, if they were late for introductions, he'd never heard the end of it. Naruto, obviously amused with Sasuke's lack of interest in attending, grinned brightly. There was nothing more pleasing than seeing Sasuke in such dismay.

"Yeah, for sure!"

"Don't screw this up." Sakura cautioned Naruto. "This is a big night for Sasuke-kun."

_Big night, _Sasuke thought. _Great._

-

"This is sickening."

The hotel was beautifully lit. It had to be over forty floors high; each balcony bearing some sort of hanging light or lamp. The entrance was concealed with a large, black canvas conveying the Uchiha logo; under it were silver italics spelling out the Uchiha name. Even the concierges were dressed to impress, each one wearing a long flowing black tux with the Uchiha logo stitched into the front pocket. Roses lined the brick walls leading up to the hotel sign, intertwined with several decorative lights that flickered and danced along with the sound of light Debussy playing in the background.

Sasuke crossed his arms along his chest, gazing intently at the cheery doormen that puked excitement at the site of any given person. They must be paid a hell of a load of money to be that excited about a dull gala. He brushed a strand of hair from his face, still observing the men. How could they possibly be so motivated? He couldn't go in that way. They were probably contagious. It wasn't as if he disliked happiness, no… he just wished it was never invented. When you had a neglectful and selfish family, how else were you supposed to feel?

He sighed. Naruto was taking too long to park the car. It figured, with all these greeters, they never once thought about paying somebody to park the cars. They just figured since it was Konoha, people wouldn't want their cars parked by someone else. Sakura had gone off to meet with a couple acquaintances, which left Sasuke alone.

"Excuse me, are you Sasuke Uchiha?"

Sasuke tensed. Now that he thought about it, he did look a little bit like a creep—standing in the middle of a red carpet by the road, intently observing a group of men. He shuddered mentally, and for one moment, considered ignoring the voice and continuing on his slow but steady progression into the hotel.

"Yes." He replied coolly. Looking over his shoulder, Sasuke practically had to gaze down at the seemingly young boy behind him. He had wild brown hair and goggles on his forehead. There was no way he belonged here. Of course, observing him further, Sasuke noticed that his clothes were tattered and torn.

"Your family makes me sick." The young boy had a lot of nerve in him, he gave him that much. He smirked, examining the boy once more before turning around and heading towards the open doors. Naruto and Sakura would just have to find their own way in.

"Sasuke-sama, we're so glad you could make it."

"Mrs. Uchiha has been awaiting your arrival, sir."

Sasuke barely acknowledged their presence as he quickly shuffled past them and through the front doors. (Really, did they expect him to stop and uphold a conversation? Obviously they didn't know their bosses very well.) He faintly noticed that most of the staff seemed to stiffen upon his entrance; greeting him nervously and with a deep bow. The Uchiha name must have left a considerable impression upon them.

The main lobby itself was breathtaking. It was decorated from head to toe, all with the finest and most exquisite ornaments from around the globe. Sasuke stopped mid step, gazing up dully at the sparkling chandelier that clinked from the slight breeze coming in through the door. The people were scattered amongst the floor either socializing or lining up at the seven table long buffet. Sasuke ran a hand through his ebony hair, trying to suppress the amount of suffocation he felt. The smell of overused cologne was torture. He stood awkwardly for only a moment longer, taking one last look at the overall splendor. They must have spent a fortune on all the decorations.

"You're looking dashing as always, _oniichan._"

Knock off all thoughts of this possibly being a pleasant evening. The bastard. Sasuke had a brief mental spasm, contemplating the option of taking the meat knife at the buffet table and giving him a savory end. When he realized that this plan was flawed (considering he was more than twenty feet away from the damned thing,) he had no other option.

"Itachi."

The man standing in front of him was far from anything unpleasant (well, on the _outside_.) His hair was much lighter than his own and tended to grow much longer. He was only a bit taller than Sasuke and was definitely more defined. Itachi could pull off a tuxedo much better than the younger Uchiha ever could.

"How are you?" He smiled that fake, stupid smile. Sasuke wanted to smack it off his face.

"Pleasant." Sasuke replied dully.

"Have you seen Mom or Dad yet?"

"I just got here."

"Ah." Itachi smiled again, slipping his hands into his pant pockets. "Well, I'm sure they're looking for you. Why don't we find them together?"

"I'll pass." _I'd rather eat live alligator._

Just as the conversation died, and Sasuke was ready to take his leave from the horribly awkward situation, he heard a rather disconcerting laugh. He froze, knowing all too well who was approaching them, and knew from that moment on there was no escape.

"Itachi!" Naruto plastered a wide grin on his face, extending his hand in Itachi's direction as he approached the two brothers. "It's so nice to see you again! Where have you been?!"

Sasuke was livid. Not only had this turned out to be the most horrible night ever, but now the blonde dobe had started conversation with his _brother._ Naruto knew just how much he despised Itachi… why the hell would he pursue an actual conversation with the man? There was no way in determining Naruto's logic. Sasuke pursed his lips slightly, feeling his fingers grow tense in his pocket as he glared down Naruto and Sakura, who had come following him shortly after. She glanced at Sasuke for a moment, examining his expression. He swore he saw her smile.

Damn it all to hell.

"Naruto-kun, it really has been too long." Itachi took the blonds hand happily, showing no sign of hesitation. Sasuke was at a horribly mismatched family reunion. "I've been traveling abroad. I'm trying to expand our business over international waters… it's been quite a struggle really." He smiled again, letting go of Naruto's hand and turning to Sakura.

"Well if I do recall, you are Miss Haruno… correct?"

"Y-yes!" She beamed, fluttering those damn emerald eyes. Sasuke half twitched, pretending to care about the alignment of a picture frame in the far distance. He never thought that his brother's fake persona would be able to break through, but here they were; standing in the exact scenario Sasuke had imagined. Lovely.

"The last time I saw you I believe it was with half a cake in my face." He laughed heartily, which Sasuke promptly replied with a grunt. That was his thirteenth birthday party… not too many good memories from that day.

"Yes, it's been quite some time." She offered her response too pleasantly. Sasuke couldn't help but notice the charmed look on her face, although he tried desperately to ignore it. What was so damn charming about Itachi? He had no amiable qualities. Nothing about him was actually appealing… why would any women see it differently then he did? Itachi was a weasel. There was no way they'd know that, though…

"Actually, would you mind if I…" There was an awkward sort of pause that fell between the group as Itachi looked for the right word. "…asked you to dance, Miss Haruno?"

"I'd love to dance!" There was an overwhelming joy that swept across her face that left the younger Uchiha feeling uneasy. He scratched absentmindedly at his face as they continued on with their brief discussion before heading off towards the dance floor. Naruto turned to face his friend, offering a sympathetic smile.

"What."

"I'm sorry." Naruto shuffled his feet. "I forgot."

"Forgot what?"

"That you hated him."

"Oh." Sasuke hissed. "You _forgot_, huh?"

"Hey now," He rubbed the back of his head anxiously. "Don't get angry at me! I'm not the one dancing with the man. Besides, you never even explained why you hate him."

"Yeah… well, that's not important." He didn't want to talk about it, let alone suddenly bring up the scarring memories of his past. That wasn't something you just brought up on occasion. Sasuke looked over at the dance floor. That was right. Naruto wasn't the one dancing with him. Then again, he had no right to tell her she couldn't. It wasn't like they were… an item or anything. Never was and never would be. Sakura was far too annoying and naggy to ever hold any real feelings for. However, as he watched her, dancing in the hands of a man who could never be trusted, he felt a strange tinge in the pit of his stomach.

He couldn't trust Itachi.

"When in Rome, Sasuke…" Naruto grasped Sasuke's shoulder, staring out onto the dance floor as he did. "…do as Romans do."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"I don't know. I read it on a bumper sticker. It sounds smart."

"…Hn."

This was going to be one long night.

* * *

**a/n:** oh hey there folks! :3 this is my first long story on FF, **weeeo!** i hope you all enjoy it (: i'd love some reviews and feedback too! (you'll understand the whole Itachi scenario later… but for now I thought I'd just do a short intro chappie. :B) so yeah! _Please please_, go right ahead! Click that review button on the bottom! **^____^;; thanks** for reading this chapter, ladies and gents!

_-Slightly Sane. :D_


	2. Plans

**When in Rome**

_by Slightly Sane_

_When in Rome,_

_Do as the Romans do._

_If they fight us,_

_We'll fight back._

"What happens?"

"When?"

"When they find us?"

"…I don't want to know."

_-_

_-_

_-_

**Chapter Two**

-

-

-

-

_The night was calm. A young boy stood alone on a hill, gazing up into the sky. All around him, small glowing flies danced in the air, leaving a trail of light in their wake that only lasted moments before fading away. He reached out to grasp one of the small insects, but his arm was too short. A small whine rang out through the silence as the boy tried again, desperately wanting to see the light in his own hand. Again, he failed to grab it, this time stumbling forward a little towards the edge. His small, dark grey eyes clouded with tears as each futile attempt to grab the beautiful floating bugs failed. He gave in; letting his small body fall to the ground with another sharp whine. Sobs racked his small frame as he grabbed desperately at the grass. He couldn't grab the fireflies, he just couldn't reach…_

_If you grab me a firefly, Sasuke…_

_I'll come home…_

…

_Niisan…_

_Beep._

_Beep._

_Beep. _

_**Beep.**_

_**BEEP!!!**_

**Slam.**

He awoke to a massive headache and a putrid smell. The sun pouring in from the poorly covered windows burned his eyes, making it almost impossible for him to see. He took in a deep, forced breath as he brought up his forearm to cover his eyes. An Uchiha hangover was not one of the most pleasant things to experience. It seemed as if someone had spiked the punch from the previous night, and without knowing (but _well aware _by the taste…) they drank a little too much. Sasuke groaned lightly as he tried to turn over onto his side, feeling the stiffness of his arm shift underneath his weight. The whole thing had passed in a blur. Meeting with the parents, meeting their relatives and friends… it had all seemed really pointless. It was one of the final weekends before the end of school, and he had to waste him time on such—

Sasuke's eyes shot open. Scrambling from out under the sheets, he half fell off the mattress as he tried to gain some sort of footing. Yesterday was Sunday. He scanned his room quickly, looking for the pile of clothes he had set out for the next day. Who knew he would have woken up in this state?!

In contrast to his family's highly expensive homes, Sasuke lived in a one bedroom apartment near the cities edge. He had lived alone for years now, separating himself from his parents at the age of fourteen. There was no way he could possibly stay there, not after what they had done—

_Zzzzzp._

_Zzzzzp._

Sasuke heard the vibrating before he could feel it. He had left his phone somewhere. Still searching for the pile of clean laundry, he reached into his dress pants pocket, (well, he didn't change after coming home, big surprise.) and whipped out the small black mobile. On the screen was a flashing 'DANGER' sign; under it, the words 'Naruto Calling.'

"Oi." Sasuke held the phone in between his ear and shoulder as he begun quickly slipping out of the last nights clothes.

"_Where are you!?" _The voice screamed through the receiver. He winced as he continued to strip down, finally seeing the pile of laundry behind the lamp on his desk.

"I'm obviously not there." Sasuke muttered. "Baka."

"_Two words for you my friend! UNIT. TEST. Did you forget!? Kakashi-sensei said so on Friday."_

He had dressed quicker than he had planned. Their school had a strict dress code: no logos or no jeans, and there was no problem. At this point, the terribly late Uchiha cared less about what he was wearing and focused his attention on the matter at hand. What did they have a unit test in today? He smacked himself lightly in the forehead, trying to remember. All he had was a vague idea. What did Kakashi teach…?

"_Teme!!" _The phone was shouting at him again.

"What does Kakashi teach?"

"_Uh… ENGLISH! What are you, stupid—" _The phone went dead. Sasuke shut his phone quickly and slid it back into his pocket. There was no point in bringing a backpack, and really no point in going. However, without that test mark… the younger Uchiha couldn't even bring himself to think about losing his top average. There was just no way. He stormed out of his bedroom and to the door, lost in the idea that Itachi could have ruined, yet again, something this close to him.

-

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-

"_Itachi, help your brother put his shoes on."_

"_Hai." On the front step of a small, stone house; a young boy sat pouting on the wooden steps. His shoes were on the ground in front of him. They had bottoms that lit up whenever he walked, and when he saw them, the young boy always laughed._

"_Sasuke, lift your feet up for me." Itachi grabbed Sasuke's small, light up sneakers from the ground and proceeded up the stairs to where Sasuke was. He pouted larger, crossing his stubby arms along his chest and giving a small huff. Itachi laughed, grasping the boys tiny leg and begun putting the shoe on his small foot. _

"_Hurts…" Sasuke whined as the back of the shoe rubbed against the skin on his ankle. "Hurts bad, niisan…"_

"_Alright." Itachi smiled again. He was much older than Sasuke. He knew everything about everything. He had the most amazing stories, and always knew how to make all the pain go away. Sasuke grinned brightly as Itachi pulled his socks up higher so that the material on the shoe would not rub against his skin. _

"_There, see? All better." He finished putting the shoe on. Then he pulled the Velcro straps over, and did the same with the other foot. All the while, Sasuke stared at his brothers head. The night before, Itachi had not come home. Now, their mother and father were acting cold. Mom would always put his shoes on, but now she didn't want to…_

"_Arigatou…" Sasuke's small voice was barely a whisper as he stood up, examining his feet proudly. They were so comfy._

"_One day, Sasuke," Itachi slid his hands under his younger brother's arms, pulling him up off the stairs and onto his shoulder. "You're going to be big and strong. And then, maybe someday, you can take my place here. Wouldn't you like that, Sasuke?"_

"_Hai!" Sasuke beamed at the thought of being the new Itachi. _

_But…_

_What did he mean, 'take his place there?'_

-

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-

"You came half an hour late and you still did better than me!"

"What do you expect? He knows the material backwards."

"Shut up, Nara! Nobody asked you!"

The cafeteria was bustling with activity. It was a large, rectangular room that held about thirty some-odd tables, all aligned horizontally in rows. Most of the kids moved them about, especially because most of them had been claimed. The tables near the cafeteria doors were for the juniors and near the back were the seniors. It wasn't made this way; this was the way the students decided it would be. The gangs hung out near the vending machines, the socially normal kids hung out at the back tables, and the rest were scattered amongst the remaining tables. It was still early, and lunch had just begun. Considering it was a nice day, most of the juniors went outside to eat their lunches. English class, which let out an extra five minutes early, was right beside the cafeteria. It was only natural that Naruto would get there first.

"Sasuke, do you remember what you got for 3b?" Leaning over their usual table near the back of the cafeteria was Shikamaru Nara, the holder of one of the highest IQs throughout the entire school. He had brown, slick hair that he tied up in a pony at the back. People thought he used gel to stick his hair up, but no. It was all natural. He also had a tendency to grow rather bored with things.

"A." Sasuke folded his arms across his chest and kicked back in his chair, looking ahead rather bored. The test had been nothing to rush to school for. Shikamaru laughed quietly, sitting back down in his chair and rubbing a hand to his head.

"Aah, I should have thought so." Currently, only Shikamaru, Naruto and Sasuke were at the table. It seemed as if everybody else took the extra time provided for the test.

"Well, I did alright!" Naruto pounded a chest to his fist and stood on top of his chair. "I finished before the rest of the class, and I didn't leave not any questions blank!"

"You _just_ spoke incorrectly." Shikamaru sighed, rubbing his fingers against his temple. "You mean you didn't leave any questions blank… right? Way to bomb an English test…"

"Uh… yeah!"

"Ch, baka."

"Hn…"

The doors to the cafeteria opened, and people begun pouring in. Sasuke kept an eye on the door as a few more of their friends filed in: Kiba, Shino, Chouji and Sakura. The one thing about their whole clique was that everybody was different. Not even the girls were the same. Everybody had their own, unique personality. Nobody was really a mindless drone—

"Sasuke-kun!!!" Wrapping her arms around his neck, Ino snuggled her face into the nape of his neck. "Oh, Sasuke-kun, I was so worried when I heard you spent all night alone on the street, you have no idea how many people I had to call to see if you were okay—" Sasuke held his breath as she held him from the behind, swaying his body with her as she continued to ramble on and on about her struggle. The others arrived at the table with a collective snicker, something Sasuke couldn't stand in the least. "Ino, get off me." The Uchiha grumbled, pulling himself away roughly and keeping his back faced to her.

"Everyone, I have an announcement." Sakura held a pile of papers in her hand as she stood at the front of the table. Most of the others had arrived at this point—giving Sakura their undivided attention as they situated themselves around the table. She swallowed lightly and cleared her throat. "I've been talking with Kakashi-sensei, and he's agreed to chaperone our end of the year trip. I tried getting Asuma-sensei to come along with us, but he's quite busy with Math tutoring and what not…"

"Ooh, Sakura-chan!" Naruto raised his hand in the air, although he was already shouting. Sasuke scoffed, shaking his head once and raising a hand to smack the blond in the back of the head.

"S-Sakura-chan—where are we going?" Naruto whined, reaching back and holding his head where Sasuke had hit him. "D-Damnit, Sasuke… you hit too hard, you know…"

Sakura seemed to brighten up at this question as she pulled one of the pieces of paper out from her pile. She turned it to show the rest of the table, the smile still plastered across her face.

"….What is th—"

"Rome?" Sasuke inquired, raising a brow at the picture of the Roman Colosseum. "Why would you pick somewhere like Rome?"

"Italy is the land of love, Sasuke-kun~" Ino giggled, taking a seat beside him and folding her arms along her chest. "Although, I'd much rather we went to Paris…"

As the conversation about their destination continued, Sasuke detached himself from the conversation. Ah, it wasn't important. Wherever they went, he could pay for it just fine. He glanced off towards the window, his eyes narrowing as his thoughts drifted back to that of last night. Itachi… it seemed no matter where he went, he somehow always came back to haunt him…

"Eeh, Sasuke?" Naruto tipped his head to the side as he tapped the Uchiha's shoulder. "You been listening? We leave in three days! It's a payment plan, so we can all pay in easy amounts over the next little while. Pretty neat, huh?" Sasuke's gaze broke from the window and moved towards Naruto. Rome… what would Rome be like? Maybe he needed this. Maybe he needed to get away from here and just detach himself. Yes, this trip would definitely help lift his spirits—if even a little.

"…Hn."

Or so he thought.

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A/N: I didn't abandon my FF, thank god. ;; Thought I'd get this story rollin' again; it may seem confusing now, but oh... just you wait. ;D FEEDBACK _!_


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